Enigma
by Green Heart Sanctum
Summary: SYOC! When several mysterious beings attack and destroy central command, they manage to steal a tome that is rumored to be a keystone in an ancient conspiracy. Planning to use it in bringing about the end of times. Unwilling to take the chance, Mustang calls an unlikely group of fighters to serve as emissaries for the State Military. Full summary inside. Submit!
1. Chapter 1

Enigma

Part 1: Blood Lines

Summary

When several mysterious beings attack and destroy central command, they manage to steal an ancient tome that is rumored to be a keystone in an ancient conspiracy. Planning to use it in bringing about the end of times. Unwilling to take the chance, Mustang calls an unlikely group of fighters to serve as emissaries for the State Military. And with little to lose, they set out on a globe trekking mission to find the thieves. Uncovering something much larger than what they expected in the process, it will take everything they have to survive. But will they succeed?

**A/N: Hey to all you out there in Fanfiction land. This story will be my introduction to the site, after lurking around for about two years I decided to finally get an account. I decided to make it an adventure SYOC because I noticed that I haven't seen any for FMA. Or on the rare occasion I do see a really great adventure, something happens and it either dies, or whatever romance the author had going takes up the whole story line. (Then it's not much of an adventure anymore). I don't know if it's just me, maybe there are some skulking around somewhere. But for now I've given up looking and I thought I'd write my own. So if you're interested, read the few rules I may have. Fill out the form, then watch the story unfold! Here we go.**

**Rules. Please read these and add: Fullmetal Love: Anywhere in your submissions. **

**1. Make sure your OC makes sense**

**As any fan will know, there are rules that apply in the FMA world. Keep those in mind. Number one is that this takes place in the 1910-1930s. So there weren't people named things like Raven and Crystal, and Wolf. Well, maybe there were but it's pretty sketchy. **

**2. Please don't leave blank spaces in the form.**

**The more information I have about your OC, the better I can use them the way you imagined them.**

**3. Let's try and keep it straight, no Yaoi or Yuri. **

**This isn't because of some biased reason or whatever. I just feel that, as a writer I can't relate to that kind of relationship well enough to accurately interpret it into a story. I may just skip romance altogether, but it depends on how the story progresses. **

**Anyway, here's the form. I included a blank one, and one filled out with my character, so you can see how it should look. I hope the rules didn't put you off. Just remember, have fun, and be creative! **

**Form (Full)**

:::::Basic:::::

Name: Katherine Fischer.

Nickname(s): Kat

Age (19-36): 21

Gender: Female

Occupation (Soldier, Alchemist, State Alchemist): State Alchemist/Field Agent.

Alias/Codename: The Stone Edge Alchemist

Rank: Major (Typical Alchemist rank)

:::::Appearance:::::

Height: 5'6

Weight: 130

Build: She's not very tall, but she's solidly built and pretty strong for her size.

Hairstyle/color: Kat's hair is dark brown. About shoulder length in the back and about chin length in the front. It's shaggy and messy looking so it spikes out at the ends. She has a cowlick on the right side, so it sticks up almost like Edwards, but to a lesser extent. She usually leaves it down instead of styling it.

Eyes: Hazel.

Face/Skin tone: Katherine has a rather sculpted and mature face, seeing as she's a fully grown woman. But it's still rather childish thanks to freckles under her eyes, and the big grin she usually has. She's white, and has a slight tan from traveling around in the sun.

Scars/Tattoos/Distinguishing marks: Since she's a field agent, Katherine has a lot of different scars from various fights she's gotten into. None of them are particularly noticeable though. Her distinguishing feature would probably be her big, toothy grin and her freckles (which she hates).

:::::Clothing:::::

Everyday: When on duty, she wears her uniform. But otherwise has a much more casual fashion sense. Wearing cotton shirts and comfier pants

Mission: Since she has to keep a lower profile when she's undercover, her uniform is retired for a gray fatigue jacket, a white, short sleeved undershirt and loose pants in either black or tan. Black combat boots are her footwear of choice, as they are effective and comfortable.

Sleepwear: Whatever she fell asleep in.

::::Battle::::

Element: Earth

Powers/Abilities: Katherine's alchemy style revolves a lot around earth and stone. Metal to a lesser extent because of how it's purified, though it can be done to a small degree. Her usual MO is using the stone around to create sharp projectiles or sometimes spikes from the ground. She can create walls for defense, or attaching the earth to herself or others for makeshift armor. The circle she uses is engraved into the metal gauntlets she wears. So as long as she has her gloves, she can fight, although bigger jobs require she draw another circle on the ground.

Her non-alchemy related abilities are what you expect from a soldier. Martial arts, stealth training, that stuff. She has pretty good endurance and stamina, and is something of a mechanic. Figuring ways to adjust or sometimes modify weapons or equipment she or her teammates may have.

Weaknesses: If there is no earth around, Katherine can't really use her alchemy, and has rely on others to help watch her back in such a situation. Electricity is often a problem as well, because depending on the conditions, earth is a very good conductor. Metal even more so.

Equipment: Kat doesn't really have any equipment except the few thing she carries in her jacket.

Pieces of chalk to draw circles with. Her pocket watch, and a pair of aviator goggles she wears to protect her eyes when fighting. They are usually around her neck. She did modify her boots so that the bottoms had a thin layer of metal between the sole and the tread. That way she can mold the metal to create small spikes for extra traction (or an extra damaging kick) when she needs it.

Weapon: Her gauntlets are really the only weapon-ish things she has. Since it's hard to bend the metal on them, she really just uses them for enhanced punches and doing her alchemy.

::::Personal::::

History: Katherine had a fairly uninteresting childhood in comparison to many characters. Her father was an active State Alchemist and early on Kat decided she wanted to be like him. And after reading many of his books, begged him to teach her the alchemy she would need. He agreed, but told her that it wasn't something he could really pass on completely because he considered it an art that had to be refined in the individual's style. Over time, Kat learned from her dad and other teachers the different kinds of styles and practices until she found her own and set out to perfect it. She practiced and developed until she was about nineteen, when she applied to be a State Alchemist. Once she passed the exam, she settled into life as a field agent, and after two years of service is still trying to learn as much as she can from superiors and other Alchemists. Hoping to perfect her craft as much as possible.

Her father is retired, and lives with her mother in a small home in Central City. Katherine visiting them often to keep them updated on the goings on.

Personality: On the whole, Katherine is a reasonably mature and fairly good natured individual. While everyone considers her a fully grown woman, she is still very much a teenager. Sarcastic, laid back and mellow, she likes to take life as it comes rather than seeking out conflict. And while she's not a particularly sociable person, she is a very steadfast friend once you get to know her. And she'll let you drag her around anywhere without complaining as long as she's not asked to step outside her moral boundaries. As a friend she'll always try to have your back in a bad situation. And like a big sister, Kat will try to help as best she can in any other situation. Either by comforting you, sticking up for you, or giving you a swift kick in the ass when you need it. She's not much of a leader, Katherine is much more comfortable in the background. Feeling that a leader role is too much of a responsibility, and that there is too much to lose if something went wrong. However, if there is a would-be leader (or friend), Katherine waits until they do something to sort of "prove" themselves before she devotes herself. This is part of an odd, and sometime cryptic thinking process she has. No one really understands it, but it's an organized chaos. For all her grinning levity, Katherine can be surprisingly fierce when she needs to be. And when it comes right down to it, you can expect to see her cracking her knuckles before getting down to business. Because when a situation is serious, she'll be just as serious in order to get what needs to be done, done.

Family: Marco Fischer (Father). Janet Fischer (Mother). Elijah Fischer (Older brother).

Motto/Quote: "The fact is, you can spend hours or days or weeks worrying. Worrying about what could, should, or will be is a waste of time. But the future and past don't matter in the long run. The only important thing is what's going on right now. If you want to live, you have to live in the moment."

::::Extra::::

(Your OC won't be judged by these questions)

Is there anything you want to add?:

(This is annoying I know) How does your character react to mine?:

Anything specific you do or don't want your OC used for?:

Will you mind if my getting in touch if I have a question or concern?:

**Form (Empty)**

Name:

Nickname(s):

Age:

Gender:

Occupation:

Alias/Codename:

Rank:

:::::Appearance:::::

Height:

Weight:

Build:

Hairstyle/color:

Eyes:

Face/Skin tone:

Scars/Tattoos/Distinguishing marks:

:::::Clothing:::::

Everyday:

Mission wear:

Sleepwear:

::::Battle::::

Element:

Powers/Abilities:

Weaknesses:

Equipment:

Weapon:

::::Personal::::

History:

Personality:

Family:

Motto/Quote:

::::Extra::::

(Your OC won't be judged by these questions)

Is there anything you want to add?:

(This is annoying I know) How does your character react to mine?:

Anything specific you do or don't want your OC used for?:

Will you mind if my getting in touch if I have a question or concern?:

**That's it! Please PM me the form with your characters name as the subject. It helps keep me organized. Submit! And I promise to do my best to create a great story for all to enjoy.**

**Until next time!**


	2. Prologue

Enigma

Part 1: Blood Lines

Summary

When several mysterious beings attack and destroy central command, they manage to steal an ancient tome that is rumored to be a keystone in an ancient conspiracy. Planning to use it in bringing about the end of times. Unwilling to take the chance, Mustang calls an unlikely group of fighters to serve as emissaries for the State Military. And with little to lose, they set out on a globe trekking mission to find the thieves. Uncovering something much larger than what they expected in the process, it will take everything they have to survive. But will they succeed?

Prologue

"_Rest in peace."_

"_It's a solemn desire, our final plea on behalf of our dead. The hope that somewhere, beyond the reality we know, the ones we love are at peace. _

_It's an old hope. But on the whole a mostly effective one._"

Roy Mustang had his back turned to the Preacher, but he heard the closing words of the sermon. And with nowhere else to look in the inky dark night, he kept his gaze fixed on the neat rows of newly planted headstones and granite angels. Listening as the shuffle of muted feet on grass and the occasional hitch of breath announced the migration towards the large iron gates.

The funerals were over for now, and as guilty as he felt for being so, Mustang was glad. Twelve burials in ten days was taxing for anyone, and while he was used to death there was not much he could do for anyone except make sure the firing ceremony went well. It wasn't easy to lose subordinates, and Roy had little trouble remembering how many times he had been a harbinger of death. Stepping into doorways or under awnings and explaining why he was disrupting otherwise peaceful lives wasn't an easy job to forget. It damned difficult, and more than once he had had to catch a swooning woman, or get down on a knee to look a child in the eyes. But he did it anyway, and he ended it the same way every time. Almost religiously, Mustang parted with the words: _I'm sorry._

He didn't know why exactly, but in a lot of ways it seemed appropriate. It let him keep his professional stance, it let him express his sympathies. And did he mean it? Yes. In all the cases he could recall, Roy Mustang had meant what he said when he apologized. But right here and now he felt as though he needed to apologize to his fallen soldiers. But what could he apologize for? The fact they had died? Because some kind of sneaky little bastard has managed to reduce the Central Command building to nothing but a huge funeral pyre while he was gone for a few days? It was hard to know.

"And in any case, what did they do to deserve this anyway?"

The funeral goers were gone now, and Mustang spoke out loud to the tombstones and the silent audience beneath. "What did any of us do to deserve this, huh?"

Then he raised his arms momentarily, in what would have been a questioning gesture to the Heavens, but dropped them at the last second. Instead settling for a tired shrug.

"I don't know. I can't tell you. I wish to God I could, but I can't. For the life of me, I can't tell you what kind of screwed-up equal exchange this is."

The gravestones took the news well, unabashed by the Colonel's confession. And after one more salute for good measure, Mustang turned to leave.

That was when the wind picked up. Warm and stale smelling, it whipped suddenly into existence and stirred the grayish brown grass into a tiny chorus of dry whispers.

Mustang grunted, a pseudo sound of surprise and irritation.

"Must be a storm coming." He didn't say it to anyone in particular. It was just an observation and he made a mental note to keep an umbrella handy for next time.

"Oh you're very right Colonel." Someone said, voice as dry and dusty sound sounding as the grass's whispers had been. "There is a storm coming."

"Who-"

Years of instinct took control, and in one fluid movement Mustang had his trademark white gloves out and on his hand. Fingers in position, he whirled around to face his companion.

The man leaned against the crumbling wall of a mausoleum, twirling a dark wooden walking stick in his hand. Skin a pallid gray, and wisps of salt and pepper hair sticking out from under a leopard printed Fedora hat, he looked up at Mustang, saw the defensive stance and grinned. The action revealing a mouthful of nicotine stained teeth.

"My dear Colonel, I'm sorry if I startled you. I tend to forget what a quiet man I am." He pushed off of the wall with a shrug of his shoulders and with a crinkle of fabric, his thin body detached itself from the stone. Looking almost like a dried weed in the slick brown suit he wore.

"_When the hell did he get here without me noticing? Was he part of the procession? I don't remember seeing him." _The Colonel didn't say anything, and though an incredibly quiet old man wasn't exactly an emergency, something didn't feel right. But he put his hand down, and lest the man think otherwise, put on a polite yet professional smile. "That's quite all right Sir. No harm done."

"No harm done."The man echoed, the shit eating grin still on his face. "I just thought I'd come by and apologize."

"For what?" Mustang lifted an eyebrow quizzically.

"For the storm.: The man replied, as though it were a universally known fact. "Also, for what happened to those fellas there." He gestured vaguely at the twelve gravestones with the end of his cane. "It wasn't supposed to go down like that you see."

The polite smile vanished from Mustang's face and he didn't know whether to be surprised or angry. So he went with angry.

"You had something to do with what happened?" He asked darkly, taking a step forward. "You helped kill the men and destroy Central Command?"

The cane end dropped, and the weedy man shook his head almost sadly. "It wasn't supposed to go down like that."

Then Roy made his move, bringing an arm around and catching a handful of the man's shiny suit with one hand. With the other, he grabbed a shoulder and slammed the lanky body against the wall of the mausoleum, hearing the air exit in a loud _whuoosh. _

"If there wasn't protocol I had to follow you'd be six feet in the ground yourself." He said, a steely tone of fury in his voice. "People who screw with my subordinates and my station don't get off easily."

The man against the wall smiled again, but it was gentler this time, not so smug. And he stayed silent, the toes of his winged tipped shoes just barely tapping the ground.

"Are you going to tell me who you are?" Mustang asked, giving a fierce shake. "Or am I going to have to beat it out of you?"

His prisoner considered for a moment before replying. "We don't know exactly what we are Colonel. I can tell you we definitely aren't what we used to be. But with Heaven's help, we'll be that again one day soon."

Mustang gritted his teeth and knocked the man against the wall again. "You better damn well start making sense. And who is we?"

"I can't really explain it. The best way is to show you I guess."

With that, he closed his eyes and relaxed in the Colonel's grip. For a second they stood there looking like an odd pair of dancers that had forgotten the next step in their routine. The man against the wall smiling serenely, and Mustang looking infuriated and confused.

Then the body beneath his left hand shifted horribly. Mustang lost his grip for a split second, and a powerful shove knocked him to the ground. The smaller man doubled over and there was a horrible sound of cracking bones and ripping flesh. Something large surged inside the brown suit, and it ripped open at the seam to reveal a furry back of gristled skin and malformed knots of muscle.

"You see, Colonel," the abomination began, it's voice becoming guttural and snarling. "We don't know what we are. But we're trying to figure it out. That's why we needed the book. That's why we stole it."

It large and now ape-like hands came up and covered it's face. Another cracking sound and a face with canine like jaws and a wiggling porcine snout came into view, greenish black scales rimming the edge of it's chin. The suit fell away completely then, ripped to shreds by the bulging muscle evolution would have eliminated thousands of years ago.

Mustang, still trying to process this, clamped his jaws together and stood. Watching whatever it was climb to it's clawed feet.

"We're something that can't be explained. But in a way I guess you've heard of us." It looked up then, shining yellow snake eyes fixing on the Colonel.

"Are you some kind of Chimera?" Mustang asked, as that was the only thing that came to mind. "An experiment of some kind?"

The thing shook it's head vigorously, sending a spray of thick saliva flying into the void. "Nothing of the sort. Don't you see Colonel? We're the _Damned. _My brother's and sisters, all of us! But we want to be something more, that's why we stole the book. We didn't mean to kill those people, but it happens sometimes. And I meant it when I apologized. You understand don't you?"

There was a snap, and orange flames sparked to life. Finding ground in the thick fur, it ran up like thin bright snakes, and then exploded. The creature howled in pain, and Mustang raised his fingers again. But before he could attack again the thing slapped his palms together.

"Oh no you don't!" Mustang jumped forward as a purple ring of light appeared around the creature. But just as he reached it, the ground opened up and swallowed the beast.

The Colonel skidded to a stop just as the hole closed. Leaving a wrinkled scar in the dirt.

**A/N: Well, here it is. It's not much but I hope you enjoyed reading it. It might not be so great because I typed it up at 3 a.m. I really wanted to get it up because my family is going on a trip for two or three weeks and I can't take my laptop. But for now, I hope everyone likes it. It's just a prologue after all. Review and tell me what you think!**


End file.
